Jeanne was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a best friend. Her life was spent on the land, growing gardens to share with family and friends. She sold goat’s milk to families around Anchor Point, and took care of the various critters she and Lefty accumulated over the years.
Her family said, “It is hard to sum up her life in a few short words. One thing to leave with everyone who reads this is Jeanne never knew the meaning of the word ‘can’t.’ At 69 she contracted to build a new house. Most of the interior finish work she did herself. At 71 she hand-seeded and fertilized a 5-acre field. At 79 she planted a very nice potato patch. She met each day head-on and tried to accomplish something. This summer she visited with her family and rested from 80 years of work.
“No flowers or donations,” her family said. “Just pass along a kindness. There were many times in Jeanne’s life that she would leave a $50 dollar tip for a waitress she knew might need a little extra, or a bag of potatoes would be set on a doorstep of a family she thought could use them. She was a grand lady who lived life her way.”
Jeanne was preceded in death by her son John, and her husband of 51 years, Lefty. She is survived by her daughter, Terry Jones and her husband Randel of Homer; grandchildren (who she considered her children) Leila Edwards and her husband Bryan of Billings, Mont.; Rita Craig and her husband Steve of Homer; Kevin Jones and his wife, Elizabeth of Homer. She also is survived by her great-grandchildren, Casey, Tisha and Logan Edwards all of Billings; David and Brittany Craig and Jessica and Erica Jones, all of Homer.
Arrangements were by the Homer Funeral Home.
Information about fire, police and troopers is taken from public records consisting of logbooks and press releases.
“Jeanne” (as she never liked her first name of Hazel) was born Feb. 18, 1926, in Eugene, Ore. Her family lived through the Great Depression and traveled widely throughout Oregon, Montana and California. Her fondest memories were of fishing with her brother Buck along the creeks in Montana, and of the different ranches they lived on during her young life. She married the love of her life, George “Lefty” Howard, on April 19, 1945. Their son, John Roy Howard, was born the following year. In 1951, they moved from Oregon to Anchor Point. They homesteaded along the North Fork of the Anchor River, in a valley she named “The Valley of the Eagles.” Their daughter, Terry, was born in 1954.
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